Data centers in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Nobody has proposed a large AI-scale data center in Philadelphia, and the city is already fighting about one. Philadelphia has eight smaller, older data centers, the Planning Commission's Amy Boyd told commissioners in July 2026, including 365 Data Center on Market Street and a 25,000-square-foot building at the Navy Yard, a quarter the size of the smallest modern large-scale sites, the Inquirer reported. The city's zoning code does not regulate data centers specifically; the only one on this record, Equinix's Philadelphia campus, is a long-operating facility that has not disclosed its power use.

The Planning Commission found only two places in the city large enough for an AI-scale data center without assembling parcels: the Bellwether District, the 1,300-acre former refinery site in South Philadelphia long rumored as a data center site, and a city-owned plot next to Northeast Philadelphia Airport. Council President Kenyatta Johnson, whose district includes Bellwether, said, "We don't support any type of hyperscale data centers," citing environmental impact and noise, though he stopped short of backing a moratorium. Councilmember Mike Driscoll, whose district includes the airport site, said he "is a no, until we really figure this whole thing out."

On September 14, 2026 about 100 people rallied outside City Hall for a three-year moratorium, and a petition passed 2,600 signatures. Three days later Mayor Cherelle Parker signed an executive order creating a Data Center Task Force to report by June 30, 2027. "This does not mean that a hyperscale data center is being built now," she said. No councilmember had introduced moratorium legislation as of mid-September.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.